>>He accuses the Chinese of exploitation, outright racism, building of palaces for dictators, etc, etc.

The U.S. has been engaged in exploitation, outright racism, supporting dictators, torture, rendition, massacres, wholesale destruction, sanctions which starve kids to death, use of depleted uranium and Agent Orange, false flag operations, stealing of resources following invasion and occupation, war crimes, lying, gross hypocrisy, rampant imperialism, etc.<<

Huh? I don't follow.

You seem to be saying saying that China's involvement in Africa is completely innocent because the US are dicks too. I'm not sure how that's supposed to work: can only one country be engaged in objectionable behavior a time? That can't be right: North Korea have been consistently massive dicks for a long time now and the US still invaded Iraq. Do two or more wrongs make a right - if we sum up the dickery from Burma, North Korea, America and Israel does that let China and Morocco off the hook?

Cheers,

Tony

Tony, I think you've been working too hard this week.

Better take the weekend off, get yourself back together, take in a movie or go surfing.

Cheers.

David G,

http://tinyurl.com/ap8j3mk

Cheers,

Tony

The photograph of you was very good, Tony, but I thought you'd be much younger.

P.S. You seem to have a penchant for talking about dicks. A psychologist might be able to help you!

Gentlemen, are we not rather straying from the point. Pilfer had some important things to say about what is happening in North Africa at the moment. Much of what he says is not reported in the mainstream western media, who are for the most part simply the mouthpieces of the military-industrial-intelligence complex.

The facts are that the west is pursuing its age old policies of colonial exploitation, electing to target those countries that have resources that the rich countries want. The Americans, British and French use their military might to support that economic exploitation. The reason Zimbabwe hasn't been invaded is presumably because Mugage doesn't rule a resource rich country. The fact that he is a murderous tyrant does not bother the US which has a long history of supporting dictators as long as they toe the American line.

To raise china's lack of respect for human rights is simply laughable. Sure they are les than paragons of virtue in Africa, but how many military bases does China have outside their own sphere of influence? Exactly none. The US alone has over 1000 and is busily creating more in Africa. Read the books that Pilger refers to: it should inform the views of some of you who clearly don't let facts hinder your opinions.

James O'Neill makes an important observation about Mugabe and Zimbabwe.The West ignores his atrocities and then targets Syria (Pres Assad) and Lybia ( Gaddafi)as oppressive tyrants.The USA sets up dictators like Saddham and calls this freedom.Saddham had to go because he started trading oil in Euros and this would weaken the US $.

Lybia was invaded because Gaddafi was in the process of producing a gold backed currency for Africa again threatening the US $.He also had gold and oil which they could take.30,000 Chinese oil workers were forced out of Libya when NATO invaded.

BTW Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick have just finished a 10 part series and book entitled,'The Untold History of the USA'.It took them almost 5yrs to produce.In an interview on Russia Today Oliver Stone said that the USA had turned into an Orwellian State.So put pressure on our ABC to air it.